EX8208 Overview:

The EX8208 modular Ethernet switch, a member of the Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, offers a flexible, powerful, and modular platform that delivers the performance, scalability, and high availability required for today’s high-density data center, campus aggregation, and core switching environments. With a total capacity of up to 6.2 Tbps, the EX8208 system provides a complete, end-to-end solution for the high-performance networks of today and into the future.

The EX8208 is ideal for aggregating access switches such as Juniper Networks EX3200 and EX4200 line of Ethernet switches deployed in campus wiring closets and in data center top-of-rack or end-of-row applications. The EX8208 is also designed to support 1-Gigabit Ethernet server access in data center end-of-row chassis deployments. In core applications, the EX8208 provides approximately 960 Mpps of high-density, wire-speed 10-Gigabit Ethernet performance for the largest campus and data center networks.

Customers can advance the economics of their network by leveraging the consistent performance of the Juniper Networks EX8200 line of Ethernet switches’ wire-speed line cards, in conjunction with the EX4200 line of Ethernet switches and Juniper Networks JUNOS® Software to reduce capital and operational expenses across the network infrastructure.

EX8208 Ethernet Switch

The EX8208 switch includes an advanced set of hardware features enabled by Juniper-designed EX-PFE2 ASICs and the carrier-class Juniper Networks operating system, JUNOS Software, delivering the capabilities needed to support the high-performance networks of today and tomorrow.

The EX8208 switch features eight dedicated line-card slots that can accommodate a variety of Ethernet interfaces. Options include the following:

At 14 rack-units (RUs) high, three EX8208 Ethernet Switches can fit in a standard 42 RU rack, enabling up to 1,152 Gigabit Ethernet or 192 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single rack. At just 21 inches deep, the EX8208 is sufficiently compact to fit into typical wiring closets, making it ideal for campus deployments where space is at a premium.

The EX8208 features a switch fabric that is capable of delivering 320 Gbps (full duplex) per slot, enabling scalable wire-rate performance on all ports for any packet size. The passive backplane design supports a future capacity of up to 6.2 Tbps, providing a built-in migration path to next-generation deployments.

The base-configuration EX8208 Ethernet Switch includes a side-mounted hot-swappable fan tray with variable-speed fans, one Switch Fabric and Routing Engine (SRE) module, and one dedicated Switch Fabric module. The base EX8208 also ships with two 2000 watt internal power supplies, although six power supply bays allow users to provision the chassis to provide the power and redundancy required for any application. A redundant EX8208 configuration includes a second SRE module for hot-standby resiliency and a full complement of six power supplies, providing complete redundancy, reliability, and availability. All components are accessible from the front, simplifying repairs and upgrades.

A front-panel chassis-level LCD panel displays Routing Engine status as well as chassis component alarm information for rapid problem identification and resolution to simplify overall operations. The LCD also provides a flexible, user-friendly interface for performing device initialization and configuration rollbacks, reporting system status and alarm notification, or restoring the switch to its default settings.

Virtual Chassis Technology

The EX8208 supports Juniper Networks’ unique Virtual Chassis technology, which enables two interconnected EX8200 chassis— any combination of EX8208s or EX8216s—to operate as a single, logical device with a single IP address. Deployed as a collapsed aggregation or core layer solution, an EX8200 Virtual Chassis configuration creates a network fabric for interconnecting access switches, routers, and service-layer devices such as firewalls and load balancers using standards-based Ethernet LAGs.

In a Virtual Chassis configuration, EX8200 switches can be interconnected using either single line-rate 10GbE links or a LAG with up to 12 10GbE line-rate links. Since the Virtual Chassis intraconnections use small form SFP+ interfaces, Virtual Chassis member switches can be separated by distances of up to 40 km. If the EX8200 Virtual Chassis switch members are located in the same or adjacent racks, low cost direct attach cables (DACs) can be used as the interconnect mechanism.

Since the network fabric created by an EX8200 Virtual Chassis configuration prevents loops, it eliminates the need for protocols such as Spanning Tree. The fabric also simplifies the network by eliminating the need for Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), increasing the scalability of the network design. In addition, since the Virtual Chassis Control Protocol (VCCP) used to form the EX8200 Virtual Chassis configuration does not affect the function of the control plane, Junos OS control plane protocols such as 802.3ad, OSPF, Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), Physical Interface Module (PIM), BGP and others running on an EX8200 Virtual Chassis system behave in exactly the same way as when running on a standalone chassis.

EX8200 Virtual Chassis configurations are highly resilient, with no single point of failure, ensuring that no single element—whether a chassis, a line card, a Routing Engine, or an interconnection—can render the entire fabric inoperable following a failure. Virtual Chassis technology also makes server virtualization at scale feasible by providing simple L2 connectivity over a very large pool of compute resources located anywhere within a data center.

Virtual Chassis technology can also be used to extend EX8200- based VLANs between data centers by placing an equal number of switches in both data centers, or by interconnecting two separate Virtual Chassis configurations using a simple L2 trunk.

Architecture and Key Components:

The EX8200 line of Ethernet switches feature a number of distinct architectural elements. The Routing Engine on the SRE module runs JUNOS Software, which processes all Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols and manages individual chassis components, while the Switch Fabric module provides the central crossbar matrix through which all data traffic passes. The SRE and Switch Fabric modules work together to fulfill all Routing Engine and Switch Fabric functions.

The EX8200 series line cards include ASIC-based packet forwarding engines—the EX-PFE2— that process network traffic at wire rate, as well as a line-card processor that provides scalable local control and status processing. The EX8208 chassis backplane distributes the data, control, and management plane signals over independent paths to the various system components and distributes power throughout the system. The fan tray provides cooling to the line cards and control modules with redundant variable-speed fans, while the power supplies convert building power to the internal voltage required by the system.

All EX8208 components are hot-swappable, and all central functions are available in redundant configurations, providing high operational availability by allowing continuous system operation during maintenance or repairs.

Switch Fabric and Routing Engine (SRE) Module

The EX8208 SRE module performs two functions: it incorporates switch fabric, control plane, and management plane functionality on a single module, and it includes an integrated Routing Engine featuring a 1.2 GHz processor with 2 gigabytes of DRAM and 2 gigabytes of Flash storage. A dedicated front-panel RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet port on the SRE module supports out-of-band system management and monitoring, while an external USB port allows easy uploading and storage of software images, configuration files, and logs. Direct console access is available through a dedicated serial port; an auxiliary console interface can support remote modem access to the switch.

The Routing Engine on the SRE module is based on the field-proven hardware architecture used by Juniper Networks routers, bringing the same carrier-class performance and reliability to the EX8208 that Juniper’s routers provide to the world’s largest service provider networks. The Routing Engine’s central CPU performs all system control functions and maintains the hardware forwarding table and routing protocol states for the EX8208 switch. Dedicated hardware on the SRE module supports chassis management functions such as environmental monitoring, while communication between SRE modules and individual EX8200 series line cards takes place over a dedicated internal Gigabit Ethernet out-of-band control interface.

EX8208 Switch Fabric

The switch fabric for the EX8208 switch, which serves as the central non-blocking matrix through which all network data passes, is distributed across three elements: the dual-redundant SRE modules and the dedicated Switch Fabric module. Working together, the SRE and Switch Fabric modules deliver the necessary switching capacity for the EX8208 switch; when the second SRE module is present, the additional switch fabric serves in hot-standby mode, providing full 2+1 switch fabric redundancy. The Switch Fabric modules are hot-swappable and field-replaceable, enabling failed units to be easily replaced without service interruption.

The two active, load-sharing switch fabrics on the SRE and Switch Fabric modules collectively deliver up to 320 Gbps (full-duplex) of packet-data bandwidth per line-card slot, providing sufficient capacity to support future 100-Gigabit Ethernet deployments without requiring any forklift upgrades or changes to the network infrastructure. The EX8208 switch backplane is designed to support a maximum fabric bandwidth of 6.2 Tbps.

Power

The EX8208 chassis contains six power supply bays, providing complete flexibility for both provisioning and redundancy. Each AC power supply delivers 2000 watts of power at high-line (12 A at 200-240 V) or 1200 W at low-line (15 A at 100-120 V) to the chassis. The EX8200 line of Ethernet switches’ AC power supplies are more than 90 percent efficient at a wide range of loads, minimizing building power requirements and reducing overall power consumption. These power supplies are interchangeable across the entire EX8200 line of Ethernet switches, simplifying maintenance and sparing.

Although only two power supplies are required for basic configuration and switch power-up, the six power supply bays provide the capacity required to power all possible line-card configurations, and to support N+1 or N+N power redundancy to protect against both component and line input failures. The actual number of power supplies required depends on the combination of line cards installed and the desired level of redundancy. For example, 6000 W is required to support a chassis fully populated with 64 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports, while 3600 W will support various 10-Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet line-card combinations.

Maximum System Power Consumption

Reserved Power

Typical Power

Base system (one SRE; one Switch Fabric module; one fan tray)

550 W

1350 W

Redundant system (two SREs; one Switch Fabric module; one fan tray)

750 W

1550 W

Maximum Line Card Power Consumption

EX8200-8XS 8-port 10GbE SFP+ line card

450 W

EX8200-48T 48-port 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 line card

350 W

EX8200-48F 48-port 100FX/1000BASE-X SFP line card

330 W

Maximum Power Capacity

220 V 3+1 power supply redundancy

6000 W

220 V 3+3 power supply redundancy

6000 W

110 V 5+1 power supply redundancy

6000 W

110 V 3+3 power supply redundancy

3600 W

Features & Benefits:

Features

Description

Chassis

14 RU; 21 in (53 cm) deep; 17.25 in (43.8 cm) wide

8 dedicated I/O slots

6.2 Tbps backplane capacity

Dedicated data, control, and management planes

LCD panel for system monitoring

Power

Energy efficiency: Up to 195,000 packets per second per watt

6 load-sharing power supplies

6000 W maximum power configuration

110 to 240 V universal input N+1 or N+N redundancy

Cooling

Redundant fans and controllers

Side-to-side airflow

Fabric

320 Gbps (full duplex) per slot fabric capacity

2+1 redundancy with dual SREs and SF card

Full line-rate forwarding with two fabrics in system

Routing Engine

1+1 redundancy

Master and backup SREs

2 gigabytes DRAM; 2 gigabytes Flash memory

Console + auxiliary serial and Ethernet management ports

USB storage interface

Operating System

JUNOS Software

High Availability

Hardware designed for continuous operation:

Secure, modular architecture isolates faults

Separate control and forwarding planes enhance scalability and resiliency

Transparent failover and network recovery

Graceful Route Engine Switchover (GRES)

Nonstop Routing (NSR)*

Layer 2 Features

Jumbo frames (9216 Bytes)

4,096 VLANs

VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)

802.3ad – Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

802.1D – Spanning Tree Protocol

802.1w – Rapid Spanning Tree

802.1s – Multiple Instance Spanning Tree

Redundant Trunk Group (RTG)

VLAN Spanning Tree Protocol (VSTP)

Layer 3 Features

Static routing

RIP v1/v2

OSPF v2

Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)

BGP (Advanced Feature license)

IS-IS (Advanced Feature license)

IPv6 (Advanced Feature license – roadmap)

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection protocol (BFD)

Hardware Tunneling

GRE tunnels (Advanced feature license – roadmap)

MPLS capabilities (Advanced feature license – roadmap)

Multicast

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) v1/v2/v3

IGMP snooping

Protocol Independent Multicast PIM-SM, PIM-SSM, PIM-DM, MSDP

Firewall Filters

Ingress & egress L2-L4 access control lists (ACLs):

Port ACLs

VLAN ACLs

Router ACLs

Control plane denial of service (DoS) protection

Quality of Service (QoS)

2,000 policers per chassis

8 egress queues per port

Weighted Random Early Drop (WRED) scheduling

Shaped Deficit Weighted Round Robin (SDWRR) queuing

Strict priority queuing

Multi-field classification (L2 – L4) for scheduling and rewrite

Management

JUNOS Software command-line interface (CLI)

JUNOScript

Embedded Web-based management – J-Web

Network and Security Manager (NSM) support

LCD panel

SNMP v1/v2/v3

RADIUS

TACACS+

Extensive MIB support

Local and remote analyzer (mirroring)

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Advanced Insight Solutions (AIS)

High Availability

The EX8208 switch delivers a number of high availability features to ensure uninterrupted, carrier-class performance.

The EX8208 switch features an extra slot to accommodate a second SRE module, providing N+1 redundancy. When a second SRE module is present, the integrated Routing Engine serves as a backup in hot standby mode, ready to take over in the event of a master RE failure. Should the master fail, an integrated Layer 2 and Layer 3 Graceful Route Engine Switchover (GRES) feature seamlessly transfers control to the backup, maintaining uninterrupted access to applications, services, and IP communications.

Carrier-Class Operating System

The EX8208 chassis-based switch runs the same JUNOS Software used by the EX3200 and EX4200 switches, as well as the Juniper Networks routers used to power the world’s largest and most complex networks.

By utilizing a common operating system, Juniper Networks delivers a consistent implementation and operation of control-plane features across all products. To maintain that consistency, JUNOS Software adheres to a highly disciplined development process that uses a single source code, follows a single quarterly release train, and employs a highly available modular architecture that prevents isolated failures from bringing an entire system down.

These attributes are fundamental to the core value of the software, enabling all JUNOS Software-based products to be updated simultaneously with the same software release. All features are fully regression-tested, making each new release a true superset of the previous version; customers can deploy the software with complete confidence that all existing capabilities will be maintained and operate in the same way.

Simplified Management and Operations

A range of system management options are available for the EX8208 switches.

The standard JUNOS Software CLI provides the same granular management capabilities and scripting parameters found in all JUNOS Software-based products. The EX8208 switches also include the integrated J-Web management tool, an embedded device manager that allows users to configure, monitor, troubleshoot, and perform device-level maintenance on individual switches via a browser-based graphical interface. In addition, integrated JUNOScript Automation tools provide early detection and automatic resolution of potential problems related to the operating system.

The Juniper Networks Network and Security Manager (NSM) software provides system-level management across all Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, as well as other Juniper Networks products deployed throughout the network, all from a single console.

Performance data from EX8208 switches can also be exported to leading third-party management systems such as HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli, and Computer Associates Unicenter, where it is combined with management data from other network components to provide a complete, consolidated view of network operations.

In addition, the EX8200 line of Ethernet switches support the Juniper Networks Advanced Insight Solutions (AIS), a comprehensive set of tools that enable Juniper Networks J-Care Technical Service offerings to automate the delivery of tailored, proactive network intelligence and support services to specific products.

Deployment Scenarios:

The EX8208 switch is optimized for both data center and campus aggregation and core deployments.

In the data center, the EX8208 switch delivers a high-performance, high-density platform that reduces cost and complexity while improving overall scalability and providing carrier-class reliability. Populated with 10-Gigabit Ethernet line cards, the EX8208 can accommodate large numbers of high-speed, line-rate uplinks at any packet size from access layer devices such as EX4200 switches deployed in Virtual Chassis top-of-rack configurations, offering a scalable solution for supporting more servers with fewer switches.

With its high Gigabit Ethernet port densities, the EX8208 can also serve as an end-of-row server access switch. High-density Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports on the EX8208 enable the consolidation of aggregation and core layers, simplifying the data center architecture while reducing power, space, and cooling requirements, and lowering total cost of ownership (TCO).

The EX8208 switch has a similar impact on campus aggregation and core environments, where high port densities and carrier-class performance enable the switch to support more users with less equipment than traditional solutions. For example, EX4200 switches deployed in Virtual Chassis configurations provide network access for every floor or building throughout a campus with 10-Gigabit Ethernet uplinks; the high-density EX8208 can aggregate Virtual Chassis uplinks within a single platform to provide high-performance, line-rate connectivity to core switches or WAN edge routers.

The EX8208 can aggregate Virtual Chassis configurations within a single platform to provide high-performance, line-rate connectivity to upstream devices.

EX8200 Ethernet Line Cards:

The Juniper Networks EX8200 line of Ethernet switches offer powerful, modular platforms that deliver the performance, scalability, and carrier-class reliability required for today’s high-density enterprise data center and campus aggregation and core environments, as well as high-performance service provider interconnects.

EX8200 Ethernet Line Cards

EX8200-48T
48-port 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 line cardThe EX8200-48T Ethernet line card offers 48 10/100/1000BASE-T ports with RJ-45 copper connectors. Designed for data center end-of-row server access, or campus applications where high densities, high performance, and high availability over copper links up to 100 m are required, the EX8200-48T enables up to 384 line-rate ports in a single EX8208 chassis, or 768 ports in an EX8216 chassis.

EX8200-48F
48-port 100FX/1000BASE-X SFP line card; requires SFP optics sold separatelyThe EX8200-48F is a 48-port 100BASE-FX/1000BASE-X line card with modular small form-factor pluggable transceiver (SFP) interfaces for supporting a wide range of 100 Mbps or Gigabit Ethernet optical connections over multimode fiber, single-mode fiber, or copper cabling. Designed for high-performance enterprise and service provider distribution applications, the EX8200-48F also enables up to 384 line-rate ports in an EX8208 chassis, and 768 ports in an EX8216 chassis.

EX8200-8XS
8-port 10GbE SFP+ line card; requires SFP+ optics sold separatelyThe EX8200-8XS is an eight-port 10GBASE-X line card with compact, modular SFP+ fiber optic interfaces, enabling up to 64 line-rate 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports in an EX8208 chassis and 128 ports in an EX8216 chassis. The EX8200-8XS is ideal for enterprise applications such as campus or data center uplink aggregation, core and backbone interconnects, and for service providers requiring high-density, wire-speed 10-Gigabit Ethernet interconnects in metro area networks, Internet exchange points, and points of presence (POPs). The 10-Gigabit Ethernet port densities afforded by the EX8200-8XS line cards also enable EX8200 switches to consolidate aggregation and core layers in the data center, simplifying the network architecture and reducing power, space, and cooling requirements while lowering total cost of ownership (TCO).